whipping boy
Not without reason, horse racing has had its critics of late. But this weekend’s programme fairly sparkles with quality.
The Met and July winners of last year clash at Turffontein in Jo’burg on Saturday, and this year’s Cape Guineas and Derby victors meet at Kenilworth in Cape Town on Sunday. Scottsville in Pietermaritzburg, not to be outdone, features this season’s leading classic filly on Saturday.
To this heady brew add an interesting listed sprint feature for fillies and mares and a couple of graded juvenile features and only the churlish could complain.
In the Grade One Horse Chestnut 1?600 reigning Horse of the Year El Picha returns to action after his gallant fourth under top weight in the Met in February. This champion has ability to spare over even the best of his 10 rivals here and should win. Some would say the Turffontein mile is on the short side for Geoff Woodruff’s gelding, but class should settle the matter.
Badger’s Coast’s most memorable triumph was his defeat of El Picha in last year’s Met. A repeat looks remote, but Badger’s Coast and his old rival, Glamour Boy, should fight out the runner-up spot.
The consistent Big Brass is always in the thick of things, so include him.
In the Grade One South African Nursery David Ferraris sacrifices the unbeaten records of at least two of a trio of juveniles, all of which have yet to lose.
Stable jockey Piere Strydom appears to have elected to ride Australian-bred Palace Line, but that’s no guarantee that Jeff Lloyd on Kilkington won’t beat him. This pair of three-time winners look a cut above the rest, but this is high-risk stuff. The same can be said of the Grade Three South African Fillies Nursery, in which Strydom rides Compass Point, an easy winner of her only run to date. She meets the ultra-promising Fun Fly and will need every bit of the 3kg pull she gets.
Three-year-old filly Hoeberg was most unfortunate when just failing to overhaul Forward Filly in July last year. That bitter defeat sits smack in the middle of two hat-tricks and Hoeberg should be a penalty kick in the Grade Three Guineas Trial at Scottsville.
In the sixth Cape trainer Chris Snaith raids the KwaZulu-Natal stakes with Petite Dane and First Burst. They could have the race to themselves
The second race, a maiden, is interesting for the presence of Velazquez, a five-year-old son of Gulch which has already stood a season at stud! This one ran second for Woodruff in July, went off to sow his wild oats, and returns to the track in the care of Des Egdes. His dam is a full sister to legendary Sadler’s Wells, so the bloodline is there.
Mike de Kock’s Escoleta Fitz in the fifth seems to have only Fire Water to beat.
At Kenilworth Derby winner Grand Jete meets Guineas hero Ethno Centric over 1?200m. Even this stiff six furlongs should be too short for Grand Jete, and also for Met runner-up Trademark. It should suit Ethno Centric.
In the seventh Gauteng raider Wine Merchant should take some beating, as should Lady of the Lair in the second. Watch first-timer Blanc de Blanc, though.